Yesterday I retired, again. It wasn't my decision, the business I was working for told me that after 11 years my contract would not be renewed. Purely a business decision, I am told. I'm not surprised but I am saddened. Each of us likes to think we are in control of our lives. Haven't I learned this yet after all the plans that have been changed, delayed, interrupted by unexpected events in the last 10 years?
My thoughts are everywhere on this. Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in MI, as I drove to work. I asked myself if I would rather be at home in the garden, walking the fields, drinking coffee on the porch or be in the basement windowless office at the workplace.
It's like God is giving me a beautiful gift and I'm saying I'm not sure I want that gift. I wouldn't have made the decision to leave the work I do if it hadn't been made for me. I think God has other plans for my life and is not waiting for me to get on board, like a parent that knows what is best for a child so God knows what is best for me.
A local business sells its fried chicken in buckets that say, "Just one life, will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." I've been thinking on that sentence today. As I cleaned out my desk these past two weeks, I realized that much of what I had developed in the first years at this business is now obsolete, they have changed policies, now have computerized records, and new drugs and standards. Nothing lasts or remains the same. Since the work I have done there will also be out of date, did I leave behind joy, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, love, patience, friendship? My work will not last but how I treated others will last for my life time and theirs.
My co-workers took me for lunch and breaks and showered me with gifts, flowers and chocolates. I will remember their kindness and caring and kind words, always.
Now I will rest in the life of family and service and wait on the Lord to direct my path.
